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County apiary inspector briefs commissioners: about 50 apiaries, registration required, foulbrood testing protocol
Summary
Kevin Turvey, the county apiary inspector, told commissioners on March 4 that Lawrence County has about 50 registered apiaries, inspections occur year-round, registration is required and suspected foulbrood is sampled and sent to a lab; confirmed cases may require hive destruction.
Kevin Turvey, the Lawrence County apiary inspector, told commissioners on March 4, 2025 that the county inspects roughly 50 apiaries and works to keep hives free of pests and disease.
Turvey summarized the county’s inspection work and urged registration and cooperation. "I'm the county API inspector. I check the bee colonies around the county to make sure there's no disease or pests in the hives," he said.
Why it matters: Bee health affects local agriculture and pollination. County inspections help detect pests and contagious diseases such as foulbrood, which the inspector said requires laboratory confirmation and, in some cases, destruction of affected hives.
Turvey told the board inspections are performed year-round but he prefers later-season checks to determine whether colonies will survive winter and whether owners need to feed their hives. He said most beehives are registered but that some owners do not register; he said sellers typically provide registration forms.
On detection and response, Turvey said he will send samples to a lab when foulbrood is suspected because a confirmed case can require destroying a hive. "But like the foulbrood, you can tell then, but you gotta send it off to get it sampled because a lot of times you have to destroy the hive if you find that," Turvey said.
Turvey also described typical hive sizes and that a single frame can hold thousands of bees. He said the county provides inspection reports back to hive owners.
The commissioners thanked Turvey for the update; he has served in the role for about 20 years, according to his remarks.
